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Monday, 29 August 2016

Margo Price - The Exchange, Bristol. Sunday 28th August 2016

Torchbearer and spiritual exponent of country music are two
possible labels to attach to Margo Price. But why not just go with the
personification of ‘three chords and the truth’. Maybe labels are too
simplistic and straightjacketed to define an artist who naturally oozes cutting
lyrics and songs wrapped in an explicit coating of real life feelings. 2016 is
continuing to evolve as the door opening year for Margo, and her debut full
band English tour kicked off with a date at The Exchange in Bristol. A smallish
venue that rocked from start to finish with sounds more akin to The Grand Ole
Opry, a Broadway honky tonk and a rural Illinois back porch. For eighty minutes
this evening the country music hype surrounding Margo Price evaporated in a
haze of reality.

While Margo is no doubt just being herself, the sass of
Elizabeth Cook is evident alongside the endearing vibrancy of Lindi Ortega (complete with
trademark little red boots) and a whole lot of Loretta Lynn. This is music
shunned by the mainstream, picked up by Jack White’s Third Man organisation and
now thriving in a crossover world linked by a passion for true authenticity and
utmost integrity. Two provisos of getting the most from this gig were tuning
into the psyche of what makes this artist tick and a love for traditional country
music twang.

Margo explained early in the show that an injured finger prevented
her from playing guitar this evening. The upshot from this is that she had to
play the mic for the entire set and perhaps the audience got a starker glimpse
of an artist totally immersed in the undercurrent of each song, aligning
feelings and movement. Regardless of Margo’s musical abstention, her five piece
band gave a sterling exhibition of delivering a country music soundtrack with
her husband Jeremy Ivey stepping in on the acoustic guitar alongside the key
quartet of drums, lead, bass and pedal steel guitar. The stage was set to
savour an almost entire playing of Margo’s debut solo album MIDWEST FARMER’S
DAUGHTER and wonder what covers were going to flavour the remainder of the
show.

While nine fantastic originals lifted from this stellar album
release were undeniably the highlight of the show, the seven covers selected
left in no doubt the iconic status of Margo’s influences. Each of the tracks
chosen from a list of Levon Helm, Gram Parsons, Bill Monroe, Waylon Jernnings,
Loretta Lynn, Janis Joplin and Neil Young cut an individual niche into the set
list. My favourites were Levon’s ‘Poor Old Dirt Farmer’ (sung in vocal harmony), Gram’s ‘Ooh Las Vegas’ (segmented into a rockin’ finale) and Loretta’s ‘Rated X’ (exuding so much synergy with
the original material of Margo).

It’s pure educational bliss marvelling at the lyrical
content of each Margo Price song. ‘Weekender’
was given a stunning rendition with the striking line ‘she said she beat
her boyfriend up while high on crack cocaine’.The words ‘but you wouldn’t know class if
it bit you in the ass’ raises a smiles each time ‘About to Find Out’ is heard and ‘they’re sucking all the good blood
out of this town’ goes a long way to placing ‘Since You Put Me Down’ as one of her standout tracks. Quite simply each of the nine tracks from the
album were 5* performances (the missing two were ‘World’s Greatest Loser’ and ‘How
the Mighty Have Fallen’.)

From a popularity and exposure point of view, the well
documented classic ‘Hands of Time’
and the belting stomper ‘Hurtin’ (on the
Bottle)’ simmered and rocked in their respective glory. On an evening where
Margo concentrated the communication process through her songs, she lifted the
mask on ‘Four Years of Chances’ with
a dedication to all divorcees and ensured certain lines from her biting
industry attack number ‘This Town Gets
Around’ were emphasised. ‘Tennessee
Song’ got the packed audience in rhythmic movement early in the gig and band introductions were reserved for the instrumental segments during the song ‘Paper Cowboy’ which is a non-album cut
written by bass player Matt Gardner.

Siddy Bennett

The term England was referred to in the introduction as it’s
only the folks of London, Bristol, Leeds and Manchester who get the opportunity
to see a full Margo Price band gig on this tour, apart from those of us willing
to travel. It has surely got to be Scotland next time as the support up there
will be phenomenal and widening the coverage to the North East of England and
the Midlands will also reap rewards.

This Bristol show had the added bonus of a half hour opening
set from local based band Wildflowers, and a highly engaging one to boot. Led by
vivacious and energetic vocalist Siddy Bennett, the trio completed by sister, Kit
on keyboards and guitarist James Asbury railroaded through songs mainly from
their album ON THE INSIDE and performed the perfect warm up role. Although you
get the feeling that ‘warm up’ might just be the start for this infectious
group who are beginning to surface as a recognised emerging talent from a
multitude of sources. Pop tinges and incredibly catchy melodies prove the mere
overlay to their music which is substantiated by a perceptive writing outlook
and a feel synonymous with singer-song writing vibes of classic Americana. A
real coup for those of us not previously acquainted with the band.

The emergence of Margo Price in 2016, and especially the mission
to bring her music to Europe many miles from her Tennessee home, is proving a
serious highlight of the year. All the traits are in place including fabulous
song writing, a top band in tow and an inner desire to spill the beans of her
heart to an attentive audience in the endearing art of song. It is a privilege to
be a fan, support her music and share a sound that has the ability to move in
so many ways.

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This blog had its inception in January 2012 and is designed to share personal thoughts on music that appeals. These are through highly filtered album and gig reviews which distinctly reflect personal preference. All reviewed recordings are from submitted material thus only reflect a portion of current taste, albeit generally representative. Live reviews tend to be the bulk of those attended. These do include some guest list spots for performers and events that appeal. Time constraints and ethos will always dictate a positive tone that is well served by the offline filter system. Fundamentally these are the sole thoughts of one individual and in essence a 'personal vanity project'.